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Dive into History with The Atlantic Rangers Scuba Diving Club July 3-10, 2005
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It was
a still dark morning on February 17, 1944 as U.S. Task Force 9; which consisted
of 9 aircraft carriers, destroyers, subs and cruisers, streamed into position to
do battle with the Japanese Navy.
The overtaking of Truk by the US Navy was a strategic necessity. The U.S. Navy perceived Truk as the perfect staging area from which to move into Japan's "Home Islands" and defeat the Japanese war machine.
When the Japanese detected the large group of U.S. Navy Carrier planes approaching, an alert was sounded. This early morning attack was relentlessly followed by nine more waves, totaling 450 U.S. Navy Carrier planes.
Task Force 9 staged another pre-dawn raid on February 18th and the battle of Truk Lagoon continued. In 48 hours, the Japanese Navy was broken and on the run. Over 400 Japanese Navy planes were knocked out of service, more than 50 Japanese Navy ships were sunk or sinking. This was a great Victory for the U.S. Navy.
A unique media opportunity to record the experience of African-Americans diving on this world renown battlefield. |
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